Abstract
The direct nitridation of silicon could be performed for the first time at room temperature by low energy nitrogen ion implantation up to the saturation concentration. Nearly stoichiometric Si‐nitride layers with thicknesses from 1 to 9 nm were obtained for nitrogen ion energies in the range 500 eV–5 keV. The chemical composition and the electronic states as a function of depth were analyzed by a combination of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) with argon ion sputtering. Concentration depth profiles for different nitrogen ion energies and implantation times are presented.